| This
Month's Featured Artist:
Petula
Eng
By Ken Hall
In the early 1970s, when Petula Eng and her artist-husband Loman immigrated
from Hong Kong to the United States, they lived first in Florida, where Petula
did post-graduate work. Then they moved to New York City in the 1980s before
finally settling in Ithaca, in upstate New York.
"This area is totally
surrounded by the beauty of nature," Petula said. "The flowers, the landscapes,
the waterfalls - the Finger Lakes region is just so beautiful, and it provides
artists like me with unlimited resources and ideas to create art."
The Engs
have lived in Ithaca now for about ten years. And Petula, with a strong love of
nature and an equally strong desire to express her feelings through her art,
paints what the area has so generously provided: landscapes and flowers mostly,
although lately she's been more involved in portrait work (her husband's
forte).
The men in Petula's life have been instrumental in seeing her
artistic talents along. Her father was a tailor who became famous for his
wonderfully designed and sewn traditional costumes for movies, the opera and
theatrical productions in Hong Kong.
"I grew up in his workshop, which was
also our living quarters," Petula said. "During those years, I had numerous
opportunities to interact with actresses and observe how their art agents
promoted their movies and opera through art and music."
Loman has dispensed
much advice and inspiration to his wife, having been a professional artist for
over 30 years. His subject matter includes portraiture, landscapes, flowers and
birds. And he works in many mediums (watercolors, acrylic, gouache, temperas,
charcoal and oil). Petula limits herself to watercolors, charcoal and
oil.
"My husband shows me how I can recreate what I see and how I can express
how I feel in whatever art form I'm working in," Petula said. "He often talks to
me in detail about how he paints, what to pay attention to, and how to
appreciate a painting. Watching him create artwork in different media is like
watching magic unfold."
She added, "Loman also explains how other master
artists composed and painted through careful studies of their paintings. He
always says that knowing how beautifully a master artist paints is not good
enough; one must also know how to look at the paintings with a critical eye in
order to learn from his or her possible flaws."
When the Engs aren't
painting, they're often discussing the works of other painters who have inspired
and influenced them. These include such European artists as Frans Hals, William
Bouguereau, Frederic Leighton, Joseph Tissot, John Waterhouse and Emily Osborn.
They've also been shaped by the different schools, like the Pre-Raphaelites
(John Millais, Ford Brown), the Hudson River School (Thomas Cole, Martin Heade,
Frederic Church) and what Loman calls the "modern school" (Norman Rockwell,
Andrew Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish).
"Art is personal and instinctive and should
speak directly to the viewer," Petula said. "I always hope that my art will find
a place in someone's heart and home. I'm not out to impress everyone. If I sell
to one person or a million people, I am just as proud and happy."
Petula has
been concentrating on oil since becoming an artist, but has also worked with
watercolors and charcoal. In the last few years, she and Loman have been trying
to integrate Chinese painting techniques into Western art, using Chinese ink,
watercolor, gouache and oil.
"It is a long process and a different kind of
endeavor," Petula said. "We hope to develop a new technique and open up a new
horizon in painting someday. The finished product will often have both Chinese
painting techniques and European favors, even though it is an oil
painting."
Before Petula starts any new painting, she'll compose a draft (or
study) and lay out the details of the proposed work, such as the sizes and
colors of every object to be painted. Then she'll typically put the draft away
for several days or even weeks, so she can make changes as they occur to
her.
"I may repeat this planning process several times until I am satisfied
with it," she said. "Once I start the actual painting, I already have it
entirely planned in my mind. This smoothes the flow of my process and ultimately
enhances the final result."
When painting flowers (and, to some extent,
butterflies and dragonflies), Petula achieves realistic detail by carefully and
slowly applying layers of colors onto each flower, petal or leaf until a glowing
effect is attained. "I usually paint with simple backgrounds," she said, "so the
viewer can concentrate on the subject."
When painting landscapes, she employs
and combines different methods such as impressionistic and classical. The
landscape work shown here evolved from two different schools: the American
Hudson River School concepts, as well as traditional European impressionism. "My
styles are also influenced by the fact that Loman and I collect fine antiques,"
she pointed out, "especially art pottery and porcelain."
The Engs co-wrote a
book titled "Collecting American Belleek" (Schiffer Publishing Co.,
2003).
Petula and Loman Eng's work is represented by Ithaca Gallery in
Ithaca, N.Y. Original paintings and limited-edition prints are available for
sale, and both artists are available for portrait commissions. Inquiries may be
made by writing to the gallery at 112 North Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850; by
calling them at (607) 256-8774; or by visiting them online at www.engsart.com.
|
